


Five Reasons Nicholas Stayed in Sandford (And One Reason he Didn't)

by LokiOfSassgaard



Category: Hot Fuzz (2007)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-03-04
Updated: 2008-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-28 00:37:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6306895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiOfSassgaard/pseuds/LokiOfSassgaard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nicholas slowly adapts to country living, and everything that entails.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Reasons Nicholas Stayed in Sandford (And One Reason he Didn't)

Travis had never looked so defeated. Nicholas had never figured out Travis' true motive behind carting him off to Sandford, but it most definitely was not in the plan for him to want to stay there. Sure, Nicholas did make late night telephone calls back to London, and even sent emails from work, all of which went completely ignored, which probably only served to confuse the sergeant even further. Nicholas was supposed to hate quiet country living, and everything to do with it. The locals weren't supposed to get along with him, and his extreme ways of policing. And Nicholas was most certainly not supposed to make friends with anyone.

"I kinda like it here," he said smugly, enjoying Travis' bad attempt at acting like he was only disappointed because they were losing a good officer. But he couldn't hide his hatred of the man he'd once actually called a friend.

Nicholas watched from the model village as Travis left with the inspector and chief inspector, smili ng at the satisfaction of watching as the sergeant realized he's failed miserably. If staying in Sandford meant that Travis smudged that perfect track record of his, then so be it. Sometimes, it was good to be a bastard.

* * *

It seemed far too cold in the hospital at Buford Abbey. Even with his jumper on, Nicholas was freezing. But he couldn't leave. Not with Danny lying unconscious in a dark, unfamiliar room. He needed someone there when he woke up; someone he knew, and not just one of the nurses. Danny would need someone to tell him that everything would be fine. When Danny finally came around, Nicholas needed to be there for him, to help with the little things. Danny couldn't fetch his own water or put in his own DVDs. He needed someone to laugh with him, and to help him insult the Andys. When he was released from hospital, he needed someone around to help him around the house; cooking and tidying up, and helping run the small errands around town.

As rebuilding the station and fixing up the village became a reality, Nicholas realized that as much as Danny had needed him, Nicholas needed Danny just as much. The other officers were still in town, doing their own duties, but it was Danny who was always willing to hang around afterwards, to have a few drinks and unwind from the day.

* * *

The morning jogs were different. In London, he'd always go through Regents Park on his way to the station, but he was never able to completely enjoy his run. There was always the threat of someone committing some random act of violence against another jogger or, worse, one of the school children that used the park as a short cut.

He had to admit that he was wrong, though. It seemed as though geographical location did figure into the application of the law. After several months of cutting through the quiet village streets in the mornings, Nicholas slowly realized that there was nothing to be on the lookout for. Whether it was because the village was s till mostly asleep, or because the entire village knew Nicholas was out for his morning exercise at the same time, regardless of weather or his days off, he didn't know, but nothing ever happened while he was out. He began allowing himself to stop checking round corners, and slowing near poorly lit areas to make sure no ill-doings were going on.

He began to actually lose himself during his jogs. He'd even started taking the iPod Danny had bought him for his birthday out with him in the mornings, although, Danny had been the one to put the music on it at first, because Nicholas' only computer access was at the station. Nicholas' morning jogs had begun to be less of a health habit, and more something he did for fun. Even in a small town like Sandford, the morning jogs were the one time he could truly be alone, with just his thoughts and whatever rock music Danny chose for the current week.

* * *

He'd seen Bad Boys II, but it didn't occur to him until a few weeks later tha t he hadn't seen the first Bad Boys film. Leave it up to Danny to watch a series completely out of order. Of course, once he'd watched the Bad Boys films in the proper order, there was Leon, and then Bullit, Dirty Harry, Timecop, and an endless list of films that were either dubbed or subtitled from Japan and China. It was while watching Seven Samurai, when Danny discovered that Nicholas could speak a bit of Japanese, which he'd learned during his time in the Met, as to better assist the endless stream of Japanese tourists in London. Of course, Danny insisted that Nicholas teach him all the Japanese he knew, right then and there, Seven Samurai be damned.

At first, Nicholas humoured him, thinking it would just be another one of Danny's phases; just as he'd wanted to join the MI-5 several months earlier. Nicholas taught him the basics -- konnichiwa and sayonara. Much to Nicholas' surprise, Danny stuck with it, though, and it didn't take long until Danny had begun reading Japanese manga and started bringing home animated DVDs, and rather than falling asleep to heavy explosions, they were falling asleep on Danny's sofa to animated sword fights and kung fu battles.

* * *

When Nicholas first arrived in Sandford, the station was more a joke than anything. The officers seemed to think policing in a small village as an easy pay check, and nothing to be bothered by.

But now, it was Nicholas' station, and they were Nicholas' officers. He'd put in countless hours in getting the new station set up and functioning, and countless more in investing in proper training. He'd worked with each officer one-on-one, started team-building exercises, and even started a recruiting platform within the village. But for all the work Nicholas had put into the rebuilding efforts, the rest of the station did even more. It wasn't long before the officers began volunteering for training courses, both in the village, and in London. Detective Constable Cartwright put i n for a promotion not long after the new station went up, and made it to sergeant, and not long after convinced Doris to follow suit.

Even Danny made sergeant, and perhaps worked the hardest of everyone. Nicholas wasn't certain, but he suspected that Danny's sudden interest in the service had everything to do with his father.

Within a year, the Sandford constabulary had improved not only its ranks and arrest record, but also its image with neighbouring stations. Nicholas was proud of the station, and everything that had become of it, but even more, he was proud of the improvements made by each and every one of the officers.

* * *

They went through academy together, but for some reason, their friendship only lasted a few months. There had always been a constant need to out perform the other, which seemed to be more important than any camaraderie. Always having to be better than the other was far more satisfying. Though, through the rivalry, they had built up their own sort of relationship, convoluted as it was.

Nicholas was running a patrol with Danny, doing exactly what he'd always loved doing, when one of the Turners -- he could never tell them apart over the radio -- informed him that there was an urgent call from London, and to return to the station as soon as possible.

There wasn't really anything going on, so Danny drove them back, waiting in the car as Nicholas rushed to his office to return the call. Five minutes later, Nicholas was back outside, instructing Danny to take him home, now.

The next morning, when Nicholas didn't show up for duty, Danny returned to the small cottage to check on the inspector. Letting himself in with the spare key given to him, he found a note very plainly addressed to him. One of Nicholas' friends from the Met had been shot, and was in critical condition at Wellington Hospital, and Nicholas needed to be there. Not to fill in for the fallen officer, but because Nicholas wasn't real ly from Sandford. He was born and raised in London, and London would always be his real home.


End file.
